Knowing that our decision/ need to be in Manhattan by 10am would leave us driving through major traffic, we left early from New Jersey. I think we were both apprehensive about the next leg, the moving into the apartment phase. Before this was just a fun road trip, now reality is setting in.Shira gave us directions and they were very helpful... until we hit the George Washington Bridge. That is when the trouble started. We went to the cash lane only to find out that they weren't taking cash. They told us to call the toll people... but before we could figure this out, the honking started. So we headed over the bridge. We were excited and nervous and then we realized we couldn't find the right turn... and then perhaps we passed it, and then we realized we were in the Bronx and then somehow we got on the RFK bridge. (For those playing the home game, GWB was $8, RFK was $5.50.) Crap. Okay so we are over the RFK and realize we are in Queens heading towards Laguardia. We turn around, go on the RFK again (+$5.50). Then we think we have this in the bag... until Ronin said one thing, I hear another and we end up on the on ramp to the RFK AGAIN! So we have no choice, (+$5.50) and we take the bridge. But instead of going all the way to Queens, I get off at the little island and turn around. Back over the bridge (no toll that time, odd) and we finally get out of our crazy loop! Heading through Harlem, we find the check in office and Ronin runs in to get his packet and keys. Meanwhile, it is after 10 and the movers are waiting for us.Once he was squared away with the check in, we drove one street over to his place on W 118th St. I park in front of fire hydrant (so NYC, I know) and the guys help us get his stuff into the apartment. Oh, I suppose I am skipping an important part... the leak. So Ronin can't get into his apartment. The door is stuck. He gets is Super to help him and as his Super walks in, he gets a drip on the head. The ceiling is leaking. Turns out, when they were putting a new bathroom in upstairs, they nicked a pipe and all summer the pipe had been leaking. By the time we finished getting everything upstairs, part of the bathroom ceiling was on the floor and they were beginning major repairs. Wonderful. Except, it is a Friday... so they wouldn't finish until Monday.Since we had the minivan until 4, we decided to take it to the new Target in East Harlem so we can move any big items we buy. It is a very interesting experience, this urban Target. Very different than what Ronin and I were used to in Colorado. However, we were very glad to have the car. We got him a desk and chair as well as a bookshelf and some other items that were much easier transported in a car than on the bus. Again, we unloaded the car and went to return it. Ronin decided to drive this time. What an adventure. We are driving down Amsterdam and Broadway to 12th st. (aka very far from 118th st). There was so much traffic but eventually we made it... though we weren't sure how you could have a car rental place in the middle of the city (they use some spots in an underground garage). Once that mission was complete, it felt like one weight had been lifted off our shoulders... only to be replaced with others.We walked up the block looking for lunch (it was after 2...) and found a great organic place where we indulged in fresh beet salad and delish empanadas along with fresh juice. Revived, we set off to catch a 1 train back to Ronin's brand new apartment.Next installment - Living in NYC is nothing like living in Colorado.(Hope to have it out soon but forgive me if it is delayed. Rosh Hashanah is this week and it melds into Shabbis so I will we down and out for 3 days.)
The Sibling Drive(ry)
Before I get started, my mother has requested that I put in writing and in public that I asked her to force me to cull my belongings when I get home and get rid of a lot because I certainly do not want to move it all again!Now, we left off with the packing of the car and sleeping. Tuesday (Aug 17) morning we woke up, ate, got ready, did last minute things... it was sort of emotion on hold... trying not to get emotional because we weren't leaving quite yet but sometimes the tears just spilled over. Both my brother and I had a difficult time with our tummies... nervous stomachs, you know. After breakfast and some ginger tea we made our goodbyes (I won't say final because we will all be together again soon, imertzah Hashem - G-d willing). It was a bit of a flashback for me. I remember being at the wheel of my car, loaded up so high I couldn't see out the back, leaving in the morning for Los Angeles. My family all in their pjs waiving at my from the driveway... same deal here only I wasn't alone. My dear brother was with me. I offered to start the drive (Kansas is a good way to get my mind of the emotion... or so I thought). Hugs were given, last minute bits and bobs shoved through the windows and my collective family "pushed" the minivan down the driveway and off we went.I, being who I am, started chattering away uncontrollably. That is one way I deal with the stress and emotion. My bro was rather silent (his technique). And we were off.We got ourselves into the middle of nowhere Colorado and had to make a pit stop (one of many to come). It was at that point that I realized we were really on this adventure and would not likely see this stretch of road for a long time. But more than anything, I was looking forward to making it through Kansas and into Missouri where we would spend the night. That first day was a very long one of driving. 12 + hours!I didn't know what to expect when my brother and I were locked into a fully jam packed minivan for four days. As children we had been known to bicker and fight but as we grew older we have grown closer. That doesn't mean that we don't still bicker on occasion. We helped each other navigate and kept each other awake. We also let the other sleep when needed. We got drinks and food for the other and changed the CD when necessary. In fact, we had a great time with the audiobooks! We listened to the whole of a really wonderful book called Shibumi by Trevanian. I cannot recommend this book enough! There are some slow parts but over all, it is facinating!Anyway, we finally arrived in our hotel in Columbia, Missouri (we thought that was pretty funny as Ronin was on his way to NYC to start Columbia University) only to find out that Hotels.com screwed up our reservation. This seemed to be a theme of the trip and I will strongly tell anyone who asks and even those who don't, DON'T USE HOTELS.COM! They did not get one single thing right on our trip.
Regardless, our hotel was very nice, if smokey, and we passed out. The next day we were off to Cincinnati to visit some landmarks from our father's side.First we saw our great-grandparent's place of internment. They both were very humble people and chose to be cremated and kept at this location. Here is the only real remnant of these two amazing people.Then, by total accident we ended up on Riddle Lane. That name jogged my memory. Where had I heard that before? Ah, of course, my father spoke of it with such fondness. It was where my great-grandparents had a home. We called our dad and found the address. It was easy to find and we snapped a few shots of the iconic porch... well iconic to our father. He has an image of his grandmother holding him as a baby there, as well, it was where they told her that I was on my way!How does it compare?
It is amazing to think that they lived there 60 years ago! It was quite a nice experience.From there it was a short hop to the Hebrew Union College, American Jewish Archives to see our great-grandfather's papers. What a trip!We were brought into this amazing reading room and a cart was wheeled out with boxes of papers that were saved by or for my great-grandpa. Incredible! There were handwritten bills from when he was living in a boarding house in Germany! It had charges for eggs and bread on them! There were also letters that will help us track some family lost in the Holocaust from his side. Ronin and I had an amazing time searching through the papers!
We had such a delightful time. It was so sad when they had to close. From there, our next stop was Dayton. Ronin had a friend to visit and I had a date with a beer and a bed. Both of us had a lovely time!Thursday we stopped once again in Ohio to check out one more spot and then made the long trek to New Jersey. Whew! That was another long stretch. Another 12 + hour day but Pennsylvania was just beautiful. I would love to spend more time there. My only issue was that the highway was a toll way! How annoying! We arrived at the Weber's house safe, sound, and sleepy. After some lovely catching up (we hadn't seen them since Ronin was a baby), we headed to bed for a short sleep.Friday was NYC day... and boy did we need our rest!Tomorrow's edition - Which bridge is this and why did I just pay a toll?
Peace in the Middle East?
I was speaking to a friend tonight. Here's how our conversation went...Him: How's the middle east? You get peace yet?Me: Not yet. It's pretty damn warm though... maybe that's why they are all so irritable...Him: True.Anybody think of handing out air con's and THEN holding peace talks?(this is totally j/k, I know air conditioning can't solve 5000 years of conflict)
Packing up is a hard thing to do
Note: Inspired by my friend Erin over at Dec-O-Blog, I have decided to post my adventures from the start, despite the fact that I am already at one major end destination. Follow the fun!Probably the worst experience in my whole world was packing up my apartment for storage and packing to live in Israel for 5 months and packing to be driving for 4 days and 7 days in NYC. Now I know what you are thinking, "Duh, Talia, packing ALWAYS sucks!" Yes, you are right. Packing always sucks. This just sucked harder. What goes into storage? What goes to Israel? Oh crap, I don't have enough room for that to go to Israel. No more boxes, just shove stuff into bags... it was madness. In fact, I had hoped to take pictures to post of this whole process but I was just so overwrought, I couldn't deal with that.Finally, on Sunday the August 15, my very wonderful and dear friend Ben joined me to get my truck. Then the very nice movers came and helped me move everything into a Uhaul and then into my parent's basement. Note to my readers: Uhaul has a great service on their website that helps you find movers to help you pack, unpack, load, uload, and/or clean. I highly suggest this to EVERYONE! In Denver it is only $15 per person per hour. I hired two guys for three hours and it was well worth it. (Read: no carrying things down three flights of stairs.) Not to say I didn't walk my butt off on those stairs but it was great. I gave my brother all my non-perishables (rice, beans, pasta, quinoa, etc) and my parents all the rest of my food, ziplocs, foil, cleaning supplies etc. I have always been a horder when it comes to that stuff. I am always worried that I won't find it on sale again so I make sure I am stocked up... hence, a lot of crap to move.The next step was packing for Israel. I thought I had this under control but... no... not even close. When a fourth of what I had planned to take filled up my allotted two suitcases, I knew I was in trouble and in true Talia fashion, I freaked out and called my parents. I hate doing this stuff alone! My mom's sage words of advice were this - throw it all into trash bags and get it to our house, we will help you sort it out. After a few late night trips back to the apartment with and without my mom to finish the last minute stuff and clean the place, I ended up sweaty and dirty at my parent's house ready for a shower... such was not my luck. My step-mom, in her truly brilliant-ness had us all stay up until nearly 3am sorting out the things for Israel until it became a manageable pile. Then shower and bed. WHEW!The next day was more sorting and picking then running around and helping my brother. Oh didn't I mention? He was moving too... to NYC. Yeah, good planning! :) So we got our rental minivan and loaded his stuff up. That night, my father (who is the king of packing) helped me roll my clothes and with the assistance of many space bags, I managed to get my necessaries into two checked bags at 50lbs and one rolling carry-on and one backpack! WHEW! YAY! Then they got shoved into the minivan and we slept.During this whole process I really realized how much I have in my life, not only to be thankful for the good fortune to have things but also that there are many things I am sure I don't need. My Israeli wardrobe consists of a lot less than all I own and a LOT less shoes. It is hard to part with it all but we will see where I stand in January. I imagine it will be a nice homecoming to my closet!Now I know some of you are wondering, Talia, how in the world are you going to manage it when you come home and have a bunch of Israeli purchases?! Here is the answer... much of what I brought will stay here. I am sure I will wear out some clothing but mainly, I brought comfort things for the dorms here. There are none or few hangers, a very hard bed, and no towels. Here's what I brought that will be left here:
- twin sized jersey sheets (the soft material) - I don't own a twin sized bed anymore
- mattress pad with a bit of cushion
- egg crate pad for the bed
- two old towels (I have literally had them since camp in middle school)
- a bunch of old wash cloths
- a small bath mat/rug for near my bed
- toiletries
- shampoo & conditioner
- face wash
- body wash
- toothpaste
- lotions
- hand soap
Pretty much... I think I might have an empty suitcase on the way back to fill with goodies! No, really, I know you must be thinking that is excessive but when I arrived in Israel it was the nicest thing to have familiar sheets, a soft bed, and toiletries. And I don't mind leaving it for others who might want or need it here. :)Well, there is part 1 of my trip. Look for part 2 tomorrow... The Sibling Drive(ry)!
Arrived in Israel!
Very exciting, I have arrived in Israel!! Thank G-d, I am finally here and getting settled. It is kinda crazy and definitely a new experience.I apologize for the lack of blogs but will fix that soon... just need to get settled and rested!Shalom for Eretz Yisrael!
Feeling Financially Nauseous
I just had to spend a lot of money... a lot of money I don't totally have right now. I just bought my plane ticket to Israel. All $1400 of it. I feel like for $1400, I should get a sleeping pod with my own television and a maid... That was a lot of money.Add into that, that I am leaving my job to pursue more education overseas and well, I am having financial nausea. But there is a bright side here... I have found that my community, the people I call friends and family and family-like-friends have stepped up to help me out. I have been receiving incredibly generous donations from so many people. People I haven't seen in 12 years, people who knew me as a 2 year old, friends I had coffee with last week, aunts, uncles, cousins, and even one very kind pastor's wife who I have never met.It has always been hard for me to ask for help, especially financially. But I have realized that sometimes we all have to break down that ego and ask for the help that we need. I am still wary of asking for money or help but I know that I intend to pay it forward and that if it were them, I would be happy to help out.If you want to donate to my cause, you can email me at taliashewrote@gmail.com.
Would a stone by any other name, mean the same thing?
I was struck (no, not literally) by an image I recently came across on Flickr. It was of Palestinian men collecting rocks... well these were rocks on steroids, huge chunks of concrete, to hurl at Israeli soldiers and settlers who might wander down their streets.
Photo by Rusty Stewart via Flickr
It occurred to me when I saw this picture that we use rocks for very different purposes. These Palestinians use rocks to hurt and maim. Even in the broader Islamic culture, rocks are used to inflict pain and death. This punishment is usually used against women with little recourse in their society. I know that within Judaism there were some punishments that called for stoning, however, there has been no historically verified accounts of it every happening.
However, stones have a very important place in modern Judaism. We put them on the graves of our loved ones. It represents permanence, it shows a presence was there. We don't put flowers, which die. We leave a permanent marker of our visit.
I don't know what parallels or differences I draw from our very different usage of this same, simple item. I just found the dichotomy fascinating.
To cause death? To honor death?
How do you find the words when they are spit back in your face?
I am emotionally exhausted. Since the boats with "peace activists" heading to Gaza was intercepted I have fought and fought this issue round and round with my friends and acquaintances. Emotionally, I am drained. My head hurts. I can't think of the permutations any more. I want to just say that this is how it is, no more conversation.
But nothing is ever so simple or easy.
Here are some basic facts of the issue. I promise you, honestly, I am being as unbiased as possible.
- The flotilla was asked to dock in Ashdod so Israel could ensure there were no weapons being brought into Gaza.
- The boats ignored this request.
- There were 6 boats. Israeli commandos boarded all 6. 5 were peaceful and headed to port. ONE got violent, beating Israel soldiers.
Now some say that the many of the products on board were expired and just a front for weapons. Some say it was purely a peace mission. Could it possibly be both?
Some say the Israelis came on board fighting. Some say (including some video evidence) that they came on board with paintball guns to subdue, not fight and were attacked. Could it possibly be both?
Beyond anything, there are many women and children and elderly in this strip of land the Israelis gave to this group of refugees. And they need support. Hamas does not offer adequate infrastructure so while they fire on Israel, they ask for/demand what they need. Israel brings in aid every day. Amounting to approx 15k tons a week. But they are reticent to allow Arab nations to provide supplies directly because of the direct assaults on Israel and callous suicide bombings.
A friend brought something up to me that I thought was very interesting. The constant conversation around Israel v. Palestine seems to be - there were 1,000 Palestinians killed but only 30 Israelis. How can we take these numbers at face value? The Israeli army attempts to limit civilian casualties but Hamas uses private homes to launch rockets. Israelis have been under almost constant attack since 1947. They have bomb safe rooms and gas masks for every adult and child. There are building codes in Israel. The people living in Gaza do not have the same. Should Israel refrain from responding when Gaza launches missiles into the heart of their cities because their people have more interest in preserving their lives?
This is not always the case, as with any war there are tragedies and mistakes on all sides. But we cannot blindly blame Israel based on numbers without facts.
There are a few articles that I have found very interesting and I recommend reading. I think we must all educate ourselves on both sides. We have to understand all plights before we can make a statement. My family has close friends, Arab Israelis who live in East Jerusalem. We have been close with them since the early 70's. Our traditions are different but we still find a friendship through it all.
To read:
Palestine Betrayed
The Peace Flotilla
Flotilla Facts - a pro-Israel opinion
Update 6.3.10: Despite having horrific dreams last night where in Israel just let Hamas do it's thing and Israel was bombed out of existence, I am still reading the news. This Op-Ed in the NYTimes is very well done - A Botched Raid, A Vital Embargo.
Pick Your Testament, It’s A Fact.
I was initially struck by the URL. RabbiDov.com/HateIsraelWeek... HATE ISRAEL WEEK?
What is the world is Hate Israel Week? As I read, the good Rabbi made some insightful points, many similar to my father's arguments.
As it turns out, at UCI around May 5th of every year, the Muslim Student Union hosts Hate Israel Week.
Wow.
I know it is kinda the popular thing right now... talking about Israel as the occupiers and vilifying Israelis. But the reality is that it was not so long ago that Israel was hailed as an incredible country and garnered support from most of the world.
What I find so remarkable is the factual history that is always ignored. The fact that Israel is less than one percent of the region. That there are (and I quote from the article) "There are some 23 independent Arab Muslim countries. There is only one Jewish country. There are two countries for people of Korean descent. Two countries for people of Chinese descent. A proud nation for people of Japanese descent. Even Mongolians have two countries: Inner and Outer." But Jews are not afforded that right? Even though we were in Israel before Islam was a twinkle in Muhammad's eye?
Despite the fact that we pray towards Jerusalem but all other conquerors refrained from seeing the importance of Jerusalem before this.
Despite the fact that Israel really does afford citizens of Israel (Jewish, Christian or Muslim) the same rights and even allows the people who sneak across the border to kill Israelis to have access to Israeli public services (medical, etc). But sometimes that border closes because when they let people in, those people come in to only kill innocent civilians. Or sneak across and capture soldiers. If Canadians were launching rockets into Milwaukee, wouldn't we close some borders too?
And despite the fact that the Palestinian refugee problem was caused by the Muslim states refusal to absorb their own people, as is the typical response when faced with the refugees of war...
Israel is vilified. It bothers me when people don't learn both sides of the history. I am fully sympathetic to the want and need of the Palestinians. I feel the pain of living under these horrible leaders, of thinking they don't have options, of wanting space of their own. But until bombs stop falling and suicide bombers stop being recruited and the Palestinian leadership stops saying "All or nothing, run the Jews into the sea." There can't be peace.
One of the most shocking things I have ever seen, with my own eyes, mind you, is a school book from Gaza and the West Bank... the math problem said, "If you have 5 Jews and you kill 3 of them, how many are left to kill?" Or the Sesame Street like TV show where the little girls and boys talk about becoming martyrs. That is not right.
How Much is One Life Worth?
Okay, close your eyes... wait, not really, you have to read this. Pretend to close your eyes.
Imagine it is WWII. The German's captured a soldier on night. Just snatched him over the border. The next day there are cries for his release. But the Germans won't even talk about releasing him until the American's release 1000 prisoners. Not prisoners of war, Germans who came to America and committed a crime or multiple crimes that got them put in jail. Well... we can't let a poor American boy languish in prison in Germany... so we release those prisoners and wait for more instructions. Well that wasn't enough. Now for one man's life, we must release 1000 more criminals.This kid didn't break any rules of war, he just happened to be in a place where he could get grabbed. The American public starts to wonder... why are we releasing these criminals back into society so they can commit crimes against us again? For one kid? What is his life worth?
This situation is actually happening right now... it has been going on but change the word German to Hamas/Palestinian and the American boy is really, then 19 year old, Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier (in the middle of his mandatory draft service). And he has been in custody for 1278 days (and at the time I am typing this... 17 hours, 30 min, and 2 seconds). And Hamas demands something new everyday. We have to release thousands of prisoners, who were captured jumping the border, attempting to bomb Israel, or other crimes to appease these Palestinian captors. And yet, all we get in return is a video of a sickly, thin, young man who misses his parents and his home.
WHERE ON EARTH WOULD ANYONE ELSE DO THIS?! In America, we would not have fought for that one person. Not that, in America, we place any less value on life but we aren't tormented by terrorists in America. These terrorists know we want peace, that we want our people to be safe... and they exploit that... and no one stops them. And yet they are still the poor underdog. While I will not claim that the Israelis are completely innocent, I think the actions on the part of the Palestinians are often white washed.
Anyway, I am just disturbed at the amount the Israelis are giving up for this boy. And while I want him to be released to go home, I don't know how much I am willing to give up to do that... And by I and we... I am referring to my spiritual homeland... Israel.
This blog is written by a mother of an Israeli soldier. She is very brave to be able to articulate this difficult position.
A Soldier's Mother
A Soldier's Mother
(originally posted to my blog at Patheos)